SEASON ON ICE: But NHL, OHL players returning to Ottawa rinks this week

In a small but significant step, NHL and OHL players will return to the ice in Ottawa Thursday for the first time since arenas were shut down for the novel coronavirus 10 weeks ago.

The Minto Arena, a private facility on Lancaster Road, has received Ontario government approval to re-open, providing that no more than five people are on the ice at any time.

There will be other strict codes of behaviour in place, including maintaining proper physical distancing at all times within the building.

Not surprisingly, it hasn’t taken long for the word to spread and for the rink to fill.

Since Minto received clearance to go ahead with its plans, the building is booked solid from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for 50-minute sessions on Thursday and Friday.

“It has been pretty busy from our standpoint and we’ve had lots of enquiries in the past 24-48 hours,” said Minto Arena general manager Scott Lawryk. “A lot of skating schools are checking it out, along with the pro and minor pro players.”

Senators players and other NHL players who live in Ottawa will be taking advantage of the opportunity to skate for the first time since the league shut down more than two months ago.

At this point, though, the idea of a formal practice or even informal games of shinny is a long way off.

The players who take to the ice will be looking to wear off the rust and fine-tune their strides with isolated skating drills, in most cases with a skating coach providing the instruction from a distance.

“Any activity on the ice has to abide by physical distancing,” said Lawryk, who contacted the provincial government for approval and guidance after Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that Stage One of the province’s reopening plan would begin on Tuesday. “A lot of people are using it as a coach and four players. You’re not going to have conventional hockey. You’re not going to have any situations, for instance, where you might have puck battles.

“We have three ice surfaces and we’re only using one – the international ice surface – so it’s easier to maintain the distance. Five people on the ice shouldn’t be an issue.”

The NHL continues to hold out hope of playing hockey in the summer, with the most likely situation being an expanded 24-team playoff with no spectators allowed in yet to be named locales.

The Senators, who sat 30th in the 31-team league when play was suspended, wouldn’t be involved in such a scenario, but summer training is vital for young players in their development.

Ottawa is also home to NHL players from teams that would be involved in the playoffs, along with Ottawa 67’s players and other promising teenaged prospects in the region.

Expect all of the above to be on the ice as soon as possible.

While Lawryk says “there’s no playbook” on how to gradually return to the business of operating rinks, the Minto Arena took some cues from British Columbia, where the re-opening of the economy is a few weeks ahead. The Burnaby Winter Club opened on May 5, with a number of restrictions in place, including a limited number of skaters on the ice at all times.

It’s all about health and safety first.

Skaters are being asked to show up at the Minto Arena ready to go, wearing everything they’ll need on the ice except skates. Once inside the rink, an area – allowing for proper physical distancing – will be set aside for a maximum of five people to lace up skates. Once those skaters take to the ice, the room will be thoroughly disinfected, preparing for the next group. Skaters will leave the ice through a separate exit room.

As per custom, a Zamboni will resurface the ice following each 50-minute session, but no spectators will be allowed in the rink at any time.

“We worked in consultation with the province,” said Lawryk. “We’ve developed an entrance/exit strategy for the building where nobody is backtracking or crossing paths.

“There are a lot of moving pieces. We’ll have a greeter at the door, like a starter a golf course. You talk to the starter, who advises people on the rules and we will have a supervisor inside, making sure the rules are being followed.

“Some people might say it’s overkill, but we would rather be on the safe side.”

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.